Sierra High senior Samantha Alejandre, right, is presented flowers and friends after the Nights of the Arts.

HIME ROMERO/The Bulletin/

Senior projects may soon become a casualty of Manteca Unified’s $23.5 million budget shortfall.

But that may not mark the end of the “Night of the Arts” at Sierra High, according to athletic director Greg Leland.

“We’re hoping to keep it going as a fundraising event for scholarships,” he said at Friday’s second-ever event benefitting the school’s drama department.

Leland’s daughter, Brittany, initiated the “Night of the Arts” a year ago as her senior project, with Samantha Alejandre taking on the responsibility this year in an effort to fulfill her graduation requirement.

“Sam needed very little guidance,” said her senior project mentor, Arabella Whitlock. “She did most of the work.”

Alejandre, in turn, was thankful to have the stage-hand experience of Whitlock, who also had a helping hand when Brittany Leland took on the task.